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Evaluating Cohort #3 of the Moving to Work Demonstration Program Expansion: Evaluation of the Landlord Incentives Cohort of the MTW Expansion

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Evaluating the Expansion of the Moving to Work (MTW) Demonstration Program


Evaluation of the Landlord Incentives Cohort of the MTW Expansion

The Landlord Incentives cohort of the MTW expansion includes 28 public housing authorities (PHAs) that will implement selected incentives intended to increase the number of landlords and available rental units in the Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) program. The incentives fall into three categories: payment standards flexibility, one-time financial incentives, and simplified inspections.

The evaluation of the Landlord Incentives cohort investigates whether the landlord incentives offered by the MTW agencies increase landlord willingness to rent to HCV holders, increase the number of landlords participating in the HCV program, and increase the lease-up success rates of HCV holders. The research design compares 28 MTW agencies to 112 matched comparison PHAs and observes changes over time. If the landlord incentives are effective, we may observe more change in the desired direction (e.g., higher lease-up success rates) in areas served by MTW agencies than in comparison PHA service areas.

For more specific information on the landlord incentives offered by participating MTW agencies, go here.


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Research Design: Evaluation of Landlord Incentives in the HCV Program

The research tests the impact on the Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) program of providing incentives for participation to landlords. PHAs in the MTW Landlord Incentives cohort choose incentives to implement that they believe will be most effective in their service areas. Allowable incentives are specified in PIH Notice 2021-03 (available here) and include payment standards flexibility, one-time financial incentives such as a signing bonus, and simplified inspections. The research will measure landlord willingness to rent to HCV holders, the number of landlords renting to HCV holders, and the lease-up success rates of HCV holders. The research is designed as a quasi-experimental study including 28 MTW agencies and a comparison group of 112 standard PHAs. Baseline measures were collected before landlord incentives were implemented and follow-up measures will be collected about two years after implementation. The research includes a qualitative study of landlords’ perspectives on the HCV program and the landlord incentives.


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The first interim report is available here.


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